Proper good night's sleep promotes both mental and physical health

Getting a good night's sleep means more than you probably think.

"I would say the importance of sleep is definitely underestimated by the general public," said Dr. Sandhya Kumar, assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and medical director of its Sleep Center. "Some people may say all they need is five hours of sleep and if they're getting that they're good to go, but what they're not realizing is that they're probably not functioning at their fullest potential."

Sleep is much more than simple rest. The brain and body don't shut down during sleep; rather, they perform important tasks that promote both mental and physical health, such as producing hormones that help repair cells and fight off illness. Proper sleep contributes significantly to feeling better and functioning better when awake.

And "beauty sleep" is no mere myth: A 2011 Swedish study found that "sleep-deprived people appear less healthy, less attractive and more tired compared with when they are well rested."

Conversely, according to volumes of research, inadequate sleep can cause people to be irritable, have slower response times, make unwise decisions, have trouble with relationships, perform poorly at work or school and become depressed more easily, not to mention increasing the risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cognitive difficulties and other medical problems.

In fact, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and the incidence of disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, has called insufficient sleep a public health epidemic.

The amount of sleep a person needs depends on his or her age. Generally, newborns require 16 to 18 hours nightly, preschoolers 11 to 12 hours, school-age children and teenagers at least 10 hours and adults (including seniors) between seven and eight hours.

"There are some individuals, whom we call 'short sleepers,' who probably will do OK with maybe only six hours, and at the other extreme there are 'long sleepers,' who require nine or 10 hours, but the percentage of these extremes are very small," Kumar said. "Most of us, after adolescence, really need seven or eight hours of sleep, and on a regular basis." But it's not just the amount of time spent sleeping that counts. There's a quality factor, too.

"There are people who, for example, say that they can drink coffee and don't have trouble sleeping, but that's not true," Kumar said. "They may not have trouble falling asleep but the quality of their sleep is not what they need. They don't have the deep sleep that is the most restful, or they have trouble waking up."

The same is true with alcohol, Kumar said. "Having a drink before going to bed may help you fall asleep but the quality of sleep isn't good, so you're probably not going to feel rested at all the next day," she said.

The first thing anyone who has, or thinks they may have, a sleeping problem should do, Kumar said, is examine their habits to see if they're following proper sleep hygiene. The easiest way to do this is on the Internet, where a number of authoritative sites - Kumar recommends www.yoursleep.aasmnet.org, an American Academy of Sleep Medicine site - offer advice on ways to get a good night's rest.

 But what if following the tips - allowing sufficient time for sleep, going to bed and waking up the same time every day, removing distractions from the bedroom - doesn't help?

The next step, Kumar said, should be to see a doctor, either a primary care physician or a sleep specialist, because many sleeping problems are caused by other health or medical issues. Insomnia, for example, can be a reaction to a prescription drug, while restless leg syndrome is linked to iron deficiency.

"In most cases a primary care physician should be able to evaluate the symptoms and determine what is causing the sleeping problem and then prescribe a treatment," she said.
But that treatment shouldn't necessarily include sleeping pills, Kumar noted.

"Prescription sleep aids can be helpful in the short term; they can help with initiating and maintaining sleep," she said. "But taking a sleep aid and not doing anything else doesn't help over the long term. It's important to find the cause of the problem, not rely on a sleep aid alone."

Sleep specialists are equipped to deal with both ordinary, relatively minor problems and less common, more serious cases because of their specific training, familiarity with the various disorders and access to advanced diagnostic techniques, including sleep studies - overnight sessions during which a person's brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, air flow and other markers are recorded for analysis.

Regardless of its nature, any sleeping problem that lasts more than a few nights shouldn't be ignored, Kumar advised.

"Even a relatively short-term difficulty with sleeping can develop into a chronic problem if not addressed, and not sleeping properly can have many other health consequences," she said. "If you think about it, we spend about a third of our lives doing it, so sleeping is extremely important."

Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Buy quality physical therapy supplies online from 'Wisdom King.com'

High quality physical therapy equipment is very important in order to get better physical treatment. People, especially doctors and health care centers make use of these systems to give best treatment facilities to their patients. If you also belong from any one of the categories and thinking about buying finest quality physical therapy supplies, then you must take help of internet to find the leading company available in the region.

An online shopping is the best way to shop anything. 'Wisdom King.com' is one of the leading and most reliable online shops that specialize in providing high quality physical therapy equipment and home medical equipment to the customers. If your budget is low and you are searching a place from where you can buy cheap physical therapy equipment for yourself, then your search ends here. We are the one stop destination for you to make your purchase in an effective manner and take advantage of it.

Apart from above, if you are thinking about buying pt equipment for your department and looking for a place from where you can buy, then look no further than our online portal. We are the perfect place for you to benefit yourself from our quality products and outstanding services in an efficient manner. For more information, go through our website at Wisdomking.com in a hassle free manner.

Buy innovative and affordable physical therapy equipment and accessories

The physical equipment is the technique to overcome physical pain and injury. It helps to improve the physical condition of a person and protect them from creating serious health issues in the future. The physical therapy equipment and products are utilized by hospitals and rehabilitation centers in treating illness and injuries of their patients by improving their strength. If you are running a rehabilitation center and looking for a reliable physical therapy supplies that can cater your requirements in terms of quantity, quality, prompt service and wide variety as well.

With the help of the internet, you can find one of the leading and trustworthy service providers that are: - WisdomKing.com, Inc. The company is one stop solution to buy physical therapy equipment at the best rates. We carry different types of equipment such as: - Aids to daily living, mobility, exercise, home medical equipment, orthopedics among many others. We have over 28 years experience in supplying Physical Therapy Equipment to rehabilitation centers, hospitals and individuals.

As you buy the products from our website, we continue to negotiate better prices. All our products are reliable, durable and affordable and allow you to easy use. If you are interested to buy our products, then you can place your order. We accept all sorts of cards to provide hassle-free payment solutions. Above hundreds products are posted our website with complete descriptions, photo and prices that help you to make the best decision. To find more exclusive products, you can visit at Wisdomking.com website anytime.

Prelim™ 27 Professional Grade Cream - NC31203

Prelim™ 27 Professional Grade Cream - NC31203

 

Prelim™ LotionSoftens, moisturizes and replenishes skin.
This penetrating, non-greasy, professional-grade therapeutic lotion is formulated with cocoa butter, mineral oil, glycerin and vitamin E. Recommended for scar tissue and retrograde massage, and for use on burn, trauma and surgical scars. Squeeze tube allows for easy dispensing.

To purchase this item click here

 

Outsmart Your Headaches - Better Than Medication

According to a recent Google query analysis, the 2008 recession took a great toll on Americans’ health.¹ Ulcers and headaches topped the charts in terms of ailments people sought advice on.

Interestingly, the rise in such stress-related health problems has turned out to be enduring. According to the lead author:²

“By the end of the great recession in 2011, queries were still substantially higher than before the recession. People were not getting better with the economy. People were potentially much sicker.”

Migraine headache—which is a more severe form of head pain—is actually one of the most common health conditions in the world, regardless of the economic climate.

It’s more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined.³ It’s also one of the top 20 causes of disability among adults. An estimated 26 million Americans suffer with migraines, and approximately 80 percent of them are women.⁴

Economic Woes Fuel Ulcers and Headaches

The first featured study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,⁵ analyzed the number of Google queries for each of the top 100 health-related search terms made between December 2008 and December 2011. They then compared this to the number of queries for each search term made prior to the recession.

Compared to pre-recession data, certain ailments skyrocketed during the years of the recession. Stomach ulcers rose 228 percent (1.48 million extra queries), followed by headache symptoms, which rose by 193 percent (1.52 million extra queries). According to the study:

“Google queries indicate that the Great Recession coincided with substantial increases in health concerns, hinting at how population health specifically changed during that time... Among just the top 100, there were roughly 205 million excess health concern queries during the Great Recession.”

Headaches Come in Many Forms

Naturally, there’s a wide range of headaches. Compared to other types of headaches, migraines are still in the minority. Headaches, in general, may result from chemical, environmental, emotional, or physical sources, and/or any combination thereof.

They could be caused by anything from food allergies and sensitivity to scents or perfume, to emotional stress and jaw clenching, hormonal fluctuations, or a shortage of blood or oxygen to your head caused by poor posture.

In the latter case, visiting a chiropractor and learning proper posture techniques could help resolve recurring headaches. If your headache stems from tight muscles, myofascial release may be part of the answer. Electrosensitivity could also be part of the problem, so take note of where you are and what gadgets are nearby when symptoms strike.

A migraine headache is characterized by intense throbbing or pulsing, typically in one area or side of your head, and is commonly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. 

Due to its profoundly debilitating nature, this may be one instance where you could justify popping a pill for instant relief. Unfortunately, migraine medications have a particularly poor efficacy rate. Most migraine drugs tend to work only 50 percent of the time, in 50 percent of people... They can also cause severe side effects.

Interestingly, another recent study⁶ found that expectation appears to play a very important role in how you respond to migraine treatment. And, if the placebo effect is instrumental in alleviating serious migraine pain, it stands to reason that treatment for less severe forms of headache might be influenced in the same manner.

Migraine Study Gives Indication of the Power of Suggestion...

The study⁷ in question, performed by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, is a fascinating demonstration of the power of your mind and the placebo effect. In short, your expectations about the drug you’re given may be just as important as the drug itself when it comes to reaping results. As reported by Science Daily:⁸

“[The researchers] took advantage of the recurring nature of migraine headaches to compare the effects of drug treatments and placebos in seven separate migraine attacks in each of 66 individuals. Their findings uncovered several key points:

1) The benefits of the migraine drug Maxalt (rizatriptan) increased when patients were told they were receiving an effective drug for the treatment of acute migraine;

2) When the identities of Maxalt tablets and placebo pills were switched, patients reported similar reductions in pain from placebo pills labeled as Maxalt as from Maxalt tablets labeled as placebo; and

3) Study subjects reported pain relief even when they knew the pill they were receiving was a placebo, compared with no treatment at all.”

According to the authors, the placebo effect accounted for more than 50 percent of the therapeutic value of the drug! As explained by co-author Ted Kaptchuk, Director of the Program in Placebo Studies and Therapeutic Encounter at Harvard Medical School:⁹

"This study untangled and reassembled the clinical effects of placebo and medication in a unique manner. Very few, if any, experiments have compared the effectiveness of medication under different degrees of information in a naturally recurring disease.

Our discovery showing that subjects' reports of pain were nearly identical when they were told that an active drug was a placebo as when they were told that a placebo was an active drug demonstrates that the placebo effect is an unacknowledged partner for powerful medications."

Migraine Prevention Strategy #1: Avoid Common Triggers

Besides only working about half of the time in half of those taking them, many migraine medications can also cause intense side effects such as “medication overuse headache,” which often occurs when people take too much of a headache drug.

Worse yet, if you take tryptamine-based drugs, which bind to serotonin receptors to constrict your cranial blood vessels, but your pain is not due to engorged blood vessels, then constricting them can potentially do harm. Serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke, are in fact side effects of these types of drugs.

Fortunately, there are better ways to treat migraines than pharmaceuticals. Learning how to prevent them from occurring in the first place is your best bet. First, you’ll want to make sure you avoid potential triggers. While there are many potential triggers (and what triggers a migraine for one might not trigger it in another), the following are some of the most commonly reported:

Food and drink: Many people experience migraines when they eat certain foods, especially: wheat, dairy, sugar, artificial preservatives or chemical additives, cured or processed meats, alcohol (especially red wine and beer), aspartame, caffeine, and MSG. Too much or too little coffee/caffeine can also trigger an attack	Changes in sleeping cycle: Both missing sleep and oversleeping can trigger a migraine	Hormones: Some women experience migraines before or during their periods, during pregnancy or during menopause. Others may get migraines from hormonal medications like birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy
Allergies: Including food allergies and food sensitivities, and chemical sensitivities	Stress/Post-stress: Any kind of emotional trauma can trigger a migraine, even after the stress has passed	External stimuli: Bright lights, fluorescent lights, loud noises, and strong smells (even pleasant ones) can trigger a migraine
Dehydration and/or hunger. Skipping meals or fasting are also common triggers	Physical exertion: Extremely intense exercise or even sex has been known to bring on migraines	Weather changes, and/or changes in altitude

The Diet Connection

From an anecdotal perspective, the Paleo diet has helped quite a few people rid themselves of recurring headaches, including migraines. The Paleo diet can be summarized as “any food that can be eaten without being processed.” That excludes grains, bread, or pasta, and no pasteurized dairy, but does include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, some nuts and oils along with wild caught fish, organic pastured poultry, and grass-fed meats. 

While the Paleo diet has many benefits, I believe it can be improved upon. The biggest factor is most people on Paleo consume far too much protein. I believe it would be far healthier to swap the protein for healthy fat. Additionally, once you improve your insulin and leptin resistance you no longer need to restrict your starchy carbs as much. You can easily mold your diet around the principles of Paleo eating by following my nutrition plan. In fact, my eating plan typically reduces migraines by about 80 percent, as it virtually eliminates all common food-related causes of headaches.

There’s plenty of research backing up the headache/food allergy connection.¹⁰ For example, research published in the journal Lancet back in 1979¹¹ showed that migraineurs with food antigen immunoreactivity experienced profound relief when put on an elimination diet. Another randomized, double blind, cross-over study published in 2010¹² found that a six-week long diet restriction produced a statistically significant reduction in migraines in those diagnosed with migraine without aura. Some of the top migraine-inducing foods identified in the medical literature include: ^{13, 14}

Wheat and gluten	Cow’s milk (including yoghurt and ice cream)	Grain cereals	Cane sugar	Yeast
Corn	Citrus	Eggs	Aspartame	MSG

If you suspect you might have a food allergy, I suggest doing a diet elimination challenge. Simply remove all foods that contain what you believe you might be allergic to and see if your symptoms improve over the next several days. Keep in mind that depending on your typical headache/migraine frequency, you may need to avoid the suspected food for a few weeks in order to evaluate whether it had an effect or not.

To confirm the results, reintroduce the food or drink (on an empty stomach). If the suspected food is the culprit, you will generally be able to feel the symptoms return within an hour, although migraines can sometimes have a longer lag time than, say, bloating or drowsiness.

Headaches May Be Caused by Common Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies can also play a major role in headaches and migraines. According to experts like Dr. Robert Barry, one particularly important underlying problem involved with migraines is mitochondrial dysfunction. Ubiquinol—the reduced form of Coenzyme Q10—plays a vital role in ATP production, which is the basic fuel for your mitochondria. Your body does produce ubiquinol naturally. In fact, it is the predominant form in most healthy cells, tissues and organs. However, with rampant pollution and poor diet, mitochondrial dysfunction has become increasingly common, warranting supplementation with either ubiquinol or CoQ10.

One study published in the journal Neurology¹⁵ found that CoQ10 was superior to a placebo in preventing migraines and reducing severity. Of the patients who received 100 mg of CoQ10 three times a day, 50 percent reported significantly reduced frequency of headaches compared to only 14 percent of those who took the placebo. Other research has shown that ubiquinol, the reduced form of CoQ10, is far more effective than CoQ10 due to its superior bioavailability, so while it costs a bit more, it may provide you with better results.

Vitamin D deficiency can also play a role. According to research presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Headache Society¹⁶ (2010), nearly 42 percent of patients with chronic migraine were deficient in vitamin D. The study also showed that the longer you suffered from chronic migraines, the more likely you are to be vitamin D deficient. Other vitamin deficiencies linked to headaches include vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B6, B12, and folic acid.

A 2009 study¹⁷ evaluated the effect of 2 mg of folic acid, 25 mg vitamin B6, and 400 micrograms of vitamin B12 in 52 patients diagnosed with migraine with aura. Compared to the placebo group, those receiving these supplements experienced a 50 percent reduction in migraine disability over a six-month period. Previous studies, such as a 2004 study in the European Journal of Neurology,¹⁸ have also reported that high doses of B2 (riboflavin) can help prevent migraine attacks. For example, in one study patients who received 400 mg riboflavin per day experienced a 50 percent reduction in migraine frequency after three months.

Magnesium can also be a helpful supplement for headache and migraine sufferers, as it helps relax blood vessel constriction in your brain. The best magnesium supplement I know of is magnesium threonate as it penetrates cell membranes, including the mitochondria. No other magnesium supplement does this. Interestingly, some of the best drugs used to treat migraines are calcium channel blockers, and that is how magnesium works. Supplemental magnesium would be FAR safer than a calcium channel blocker.

Tips and Tricks for Immediate Relief Without Drugs

While prevention is key, you’re not stuck with the drug paradigm should a headache strike. For acute situations, there are several safe, healthy alternatives that you can try. I recommend testing all of them, in various combinations, to find what works best for you. I’ve listed a few below, but please feel free to add any approaches that you have found helpful for the treatment of migraines. There are some really bright people who receive this newsletter and I am sure they have some phenomenal solutions.

• Try the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). This simple process by itself tends to provide relief 50-80 percent of the time and, in some cases, the relief is complete and permanent. More sophisticated uses by a licensed EFT practitioner¹⁹ may be required for some migraine sufferers.
• Stimulate your body's natural painkilling ability. By putting pressure on a nerve just under your eyebrow, you can cause your pituitary gland to release painkilling endorphins immediately. Massaging your ears, ear lobes, and the "crown" of your head -- the ring of muscles that circle your head where a crown would sit—can also provide some relief.
• Apply hot and cold packs. For some people, heat will do the trick, while others get more relief from cold. Experiment to see which one works for you, but avoid extreme temperatures. Alternating between the two may also work. Placing your hands and feet in hot (but not scalding) water, while placing a cold pack at the base of your skull, is yet another trick that works for some.
• Take anywhere from 1/2 to 3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper in an 8 oz glass of water (hot or cold). Endorphins are released by your brain when the cayenne hits your stomach lining. Another alternative is to swallow a dollop of wasabi paste.
• Sniff green apple scent. One study found that the scent significantly relieved migraine pain. This may also work with other scents that you enjoy so consulting with an aromatherapist might be beneficial. Other aromas that stand out of the crowd include peppermint, sandalwood, lavender, and eucalyptus.

Your Mind as a Powerful Ally

Preventing migraines and other recurring types of headaches begins by avoiding the triggers. Most often this means eating healthy whole foods (avoiding most processed ones) and managing your stress effectively. Following my eating plan has provided relief for many, although it’s not an overnight cure. Dietary changes do take some time to reveal its benefits. Avoiding wheat, grains, sugar, and all fluids but water seem to be particularly effective.

Regular exercise may also help to keep headaches and migraines at bay by improving your response to stress along with the underlying inflammatory conditions that can trigger them. Ideally, these are the lifestyle strategies to focus on if you suffer from recurring headaches. That said, should a headache strike and you need immediate relief, try one or more of the tips and tricks listed above.

Also consider whether your headaches may be precipitated by poor posture, or being surrounded by too many electrical gadgets or Wi-Fi. If you think either of those issues is at play, consider the appropriate remedies to address them. For the former, consider seeing a qualified chiropractor and adapt a regimen to address your posture. Two of my favorite strategies for correcting postural problems are The Gokhale Method and Foundation Training.

If you think you may be electrosensitive, addressing your use of electronics, such as your cell phone and computer, will be the order of the day. To learn more, you can find a large number of articles on this issue on my dedicated EMF page.

Syringe Pen Display - 20560

Syringe Pen Display - 20560

Product Description

Display holder for 60 pens styled as syringes. Pens included. No choice in color. 

 

To purchase this item click here

 

Contact physical therapy supplies for maintaining the good health

Nowadays, people from the modern society are very much concerned about maintaining the good health and physical levels also. They are now opting different exercise routines, changing the food habits, joining the aerobics, Tae-Bo and other activity sessions for improving the condition. However, if you are also thinking to buy the cost-effective PT equipment, then contact the experts of “wisdomking.com” website. We have more than 28 years of experience in the industry as the Physical Therapy Equipment Supplier and Retailer thus you can completely trust us.

Since 1998, we have been serving all these less expensive and durable health care products to many sectors according to the different needs. Each and every product on our site wisdomking.com is checked very carefully on different parameters. Not just that, we add hundreds of items on our online webpage on a daily basis so that people can select the best one according to the demands. If you cannot find today the right product according to the physical therapy needs and budgetary requirements. At the online website of physical therapy supplies, you will be able to gather the right information about all these products.

The adjustable cheap physical therapy equipment is ideal to balance, transfer and strength-building activities. These are highly valued among the people for their diverse features like easily height adjustable, superior quality, durable Naugahyde covers, 440 lbs weight capacity, latex free and easy to use. One can buy this with five-years warranty from us at highly affordable rates.